Drishyam 3 writer-director Abhishek Pathak spoke about the challenging phase when Akshaye Khanna left the film right before the shooting was supposed to begin.
The makers had already officially announced the third and final instalment of the Hindi version of Drishyam, and preparations for the shoot were underway. However, just days before filming was scheduled to begin, Akshaye exited the project. While the exact reason behind his departure remains unclear, his exit put the makers in a difficult spot.
Abhishek and his team had to find a replacement, make changes to the script and get everything ready without pushing the shoot back. Speaking to Hindustan Times, the director recalled the chaotic week and explained why he decided to stick to the original shooting schedule.
In December 2025, reports emerged that Akshaye had left the film over creative and monetary disagreements with the makers. The shoot was scheduled to begin just a week later, after Christmas. Abhishek recalled that while the situation did not cause panic, the team was certainly unhappy with the way things had unfolded. “I won’t say panic, but we were not happy with the whole idea. I thought, ‘Ye kya tareeka hua (What is this)?’” he said.
Abhishek then rewrote the portions of the film that had originally been written with Akshaye in mind. Jaideep Ahlawat was later brought in to replace him.
Recalling how quickly everything came together, the filmmaker said, “He was kind of replacing a character that had been liked by the audience. I called him, and he asked me, ‘Casting change or character change?’ I told him I am changing the character. Then, he read it and found it fun. All that happened within 5-6 days.”
Abhishek had decided not to push the shoot back. “The tough part was the call to continue, to just tell the team: ‘Hold on, don’t cancel anything. We will do it’. Bol to diya par ab karna bhi padega. Likhna bhi tha (I had said it, but now I had to do it and rewrite things). I asked for 2-3 days to figure out if we could achieve it. We were seven days away from the shoot when we were to film his scene with Ajay (Devgn) sir,” he said.
Abhishek said he did not cancel the shoot because over 200 people were dependent on the film for work. The set was already ready, and rescheduling would have affected the crew as well as the actors, whose dates were already locked.
Drishyam 3 features Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu and Jaideep Ahlawat in key roles. The project will hit cinema screens on October 2.
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